New Beginnings
by The Pokemon Breeder
Summary: A thirteen-year-old girl, Lane, who has served as Prof. Oak's assistant finally gets a chance to fulfill her promise to her late father, and become a Pokemon Master! But with an odd Pokemon like her Pichu, it won't be easy... REVIEW!
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: This is my first ACTUAL fic, so please review and tell me how I'm doin'. Flames, helpful criticism, and suggestions are very welcome ^_^ Read my bottom notes for details on how you can enter my upcoming interactive fic, "To Be A Pokemon Master".  
  
Title: New Beginnings  
  
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Nicole, who has worked as Prof. Oak's assistant, finally gets her chance to go out into the world and become a Pokemon Master!  
  
Author: The Pokemon Breeder  
  
Review Goal: 3  
  
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[CHAPTER 1: CATCHING PIKACHU]  
  
"Good morning, Professor Oak!" Chirped Lane as she walked into the professor's laboratory. She set her old gray back pack by the door, and tossed her Pokegear down on top of it. Although she wasn't a trainer, Professor Oak thought it would be a good idea if she kept a Pokegear device on her whenever she went to do errands for him, in case something went wrong.  
  
Lane was a tall girl for thirteen, and had bright green eyes and extremely short dark brown hair. Today, she was wearing a plain orange t- shirt, with a Torchic symbol stitched on the breast pocket. Blue jeans and a pair of worn-out Nikes accommodated her rather casual outfit. She kept her custom-made Crystal Ball on a chain that she hung around her neck. It had been a gift from her late father; he'd told her to give it to her must trusted Pokemon once she became a trainer. Sadly, that day still had yet to come.  
  
"Good morning, Lane," the professor greeted from his desk. "I have a special errand for you today." He got up from his comfy computer chair and turned to face her, his hands behind his back.  
  
"What can I do for you?" The teen tilted her a head, a slight smile appearing on her face.  
  
"Yesterday, when the new trainers came to choose their Pokemon, I happened to run out of Pikachu. Would you mind going to capture one for me?" He picked a package up off of his desk, setting it into one of her hands. "That parcel contains five Pokeballs. And this," he placed a Great Ball in her unoccupied hand, "is a Charmeleon. You shouldn't have any trouble getting a Pikachu, other than taking the time to search for one."  
  
Lane tucked the package under her arm, and looked down at Charmeleon's ball. "Gee, Professor.... Will Charmeleon even listen to me?"  
  
"I've told him to. Don't worry; you'll be fine," Oak smiled reassuringly. "Now go get me that Pikachu! One or two more would be wonderful, if you can find any."  
  
"OK!" She nodded. "I'll do my best. See ya!"  
  
And with that, she strapped her Pokegear to her wrist, stuffed the Pokeballs in her pack, and was out the door.  
  
~~--Hours Later....--~~  
  
"Ugh..." Lane complained as she plopped down on a tree stump. Charmeleon, who had been out of his ball for quite some time now, growled reassuringly at her, running one sharp claw down her forearm. The teen giggled a little, her arm being her most ticklish limb.  
  
A few odd feet away, a bush began to rustle. Both Pika-searchers whirled to see what was hiding within the shrubbery.  
  
"Pika?" A yellow head popped out of the top of the bush. It cocked its head, a few sparks dancing across its yellow cheeks.  
  
"A Pikachu!" Lane grinned, excited. "Charmeleon, use your Scratch attack!"  
  
With exceptional speed the fire Pokemon rushed forward, raking its claws at the yellow electric mouse. The inexperienced Pikachu didn't have time to dodge, so it hit Charmeleon with a light Thundershock. The fire Pokemon only hesitated a second, before using its Ember attack.  
  
"CHUUUU!" It countered with Thundershock, again.  
  
Meanwhile, Lane had been unwrapping a shiny new Poke Ball from the box. She got up from her back pack and threw the ball at the Pikachu while it was busy worrying about Charmeleon. In a flare of red light, the mouse's figure dwindled into the Poke Ball, which shook violently for a few seconds before settling down.  
  
"Alright! Charmeleon, great job!" She grinned, shaking hands/claws with the fire Pokemon. "We got the Professor his Pikachu!"  
  
The two headed back to the laboratory. When they got there, Oak was sitting in his study, reading a book. On the cover was a picture of a Houndour, Houndoom, and Mightyena. The book was entitled "Dark Pokemon and How to Raise Them."  
  
"Hey, Professor! We got you the Pikachu you wanted!" Lane smiled as she set the Poke Ball on the side table next to the professor's chair. She stepped back, but Charmeleon went to stand behind his master's chair.  
  
"Good," Oak smiled as he grabbed the ball and opened it. The same red light shot out of the ball, and slowly took the form of the Pikachu. The small mouse Pokemon blinked up, surprised, at Oak and titled its head. The good professor bent down to examine the newly captured creature. Lane couldn't help but notice that the Pikachu looked a little... fat, for the lack of a better word.  
  
"Oh my goodness!"  
  
"What is it, sir?"  
  
"The Pikachu you caught for me is pregnant! I believe she'll be having her eggs any day now..." The Professor ran his fingers over the soft fur on the soon-to-be mother's back. "Also, do you see the stripes on her back? She has one more than a Pikachu usually should. Lane, you really found a rare one...."  
  
Oak looked at the girl for a moment, his eyes resting on her custom- made Poke Ball. It glittered brightly, even in the soft light of his study. In his opinion, it was time the young teen got out and did what she'd promised to do for the past two years; become a Pokemon Trainer.  
  
"As thanks, I'd like for you to take one of her Pichu when they're born. I know it won't be much help against the first gym leader, who uses rock Pokemon, but I'm sure you can manage to capture a Poliwag or something before you reach Pewter City." He hid a smile at the shocked expression on Lane's face.  
  
"B-but, Professor...!" She was speechless. "Thanks, I guess...."  
  
"Then it's settled. After you get your Pichu, you will start on your Pokemon Journey. You may go home now, Lane."  
  
"OK, see ya later, Professor Oak." The girl said half-heartedly as she took her backpack and left the laboratory.  
  
"And when is Ash going to get back with my GS Ball?" Oak sighed, as he picked his book back up and sat back down.  
  
EnD cHaPtEr~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Note 2: Okay, remember when I said read my bottom notes for details on how to participate in my upcoming fic "To Be a Pokemon Master"? Well, all you have to do is leave your e-mail in a review about this story (New Beginnings), and I'll send you the details on my other fic. Don't want to get in trouble with FFN ^^()  
  
THREE REVIEWS AND I'll CONTINUE THIS FIC! Flames, suggestions, and helpful criticism are very welcome ^^ Don't forget to include your e-mail if you want to be in my other fic "To Be a Pokemon Master". 


	2. Chapter Two

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews :D! I would've updated sooner, but I've been a lil' busy, with school starting and all.... T_T Sorry the chapter's short, but I guess you could just call this a filler. The next chapter is where the real stuff begins!!  
  
Review Goal: 10  
  
Review Responses:  
  
Jigglypuff: Thanks for reviewing ^_^ I thought the condition of the Pikachu would be a twister.  
  
Obsidian Blade: Hey, thanks for reviewing! I'll send you the rules n' stuff on my other fic ASAP!  
  
Titchmeister: Thanks for the review! Yes, I have played some of the games. I've beaten Sapphire and Ruby, but still working on the others -_-(). On my Sapphire, all of my Pokemon are level eighty or higher. My Blaziken (sp?) is at 100.  
  
Flower Powerer: Yeah, I love original trainer fics, too ^_^ Thanks for reviewing, and I'll send you the stuff for my interactive fic ASAP!  
  
Paradox Paradox: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you think my first fic rocks ^_^  
  
Fyrefly: Thanks for the review! I'll try and review yours ASAP!  
  
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[CHAPTER 1: HANDICAPPED PICHU]  
  
The next morning, at the Pokemon labs, Professor Oak was taking Lane out to the garden, where the female Pikachu's eggs had hatched during the night. When they reached the next, the teen noticed that the female Pikachu was nowhere to be seen, and only a couple of the Pichu had remained in the nest.  
  
"Where's their mom, Professor?" She asked curiously.  
  
"The infants know how to take care of themselves just a few hours after hatching. The mother probably felt that she was no longer needed, and left to explore the garden for herself," Oak explained. "Now, which of these Pichu would you like?"  
  
Lane surveyed the Pokemon for a second. The first Pichu, the bigger one, looked like any regular Pichu. But the littler one's cheeks were black instead of pink, and its tail was a bit longer than a Pichu's should be. Lane smiled; she'd always thought herself unordinary, and having this Pokemon as leader on her team would prove that she wasn't normal.  
  
"I'd like that one," she grinned, "the one with black cheeks."  
  
Professor Oak raised a brow. "Are you sure? She can't use electricity...."  
  
Lane shrugged it off. "I don't care. It only makes her even more special." The small Pichu seemed to smile a little at this. "I'll just have to train her to use physical attacks. In my opinion, Ash's Pikachu relies too much on its electricity; if my Pichu ever learned how to use hers, then she could always back it up with some strength!"  
  
"True," Oak nodded. "Okay, then. Here's a Poke Ball, just ask her if she wants to get into it..."  
  
"No thanks, Professor," Lane kneeled down on one knee, so she could get closer to the Pichu's level. "Hey, girl... D'you wanna go with me? I've got a nice ball for you, but you don't have to stay in it." The teen poked at the custom Poke Ball hanging around her neck. The female Pokemon tilted its head, as if thinking about it, and finally nodded. The girl held out the Poke Ball, but Pichu shook her head.  
  
"Oh, so you'd like to come with me, just not in the ball, right?"  
  
Another nod.  
  
"Okay!" The girl held out her arm, making a sort of ramp so the small mouse could climb up to her shoulder.  
  
The Pichu hesitantly hopped forward, leaning on all four paws, and scampered onto Lane's shoulder. It squeaked happily. "Chu! Pichu!"  
  
The bushes the stood just behind the Pichu nest rustled. Two yellow- and-black ears popped out of the top of it, and then a red-cheeked yellow head. "Pika... Chu?" The mother Pikachu tilted her head up at her offspring.  
  
"Pipichu!" The baby Pokemon answered back. The mother jumped out of the bush and propped itself up on its hind legs. It waved one of its paws in the air.  
  
"Pi-Pikachu!"  
  
"I see the mother still checks up on her babies," Oak said, seeming to think this over in his head. He rubbed his chin absently with his forefinger before looking over at Lane.  
  
"I received a call from Ash earlier this morning. He will be arriving here tomorrow, and I thought you'd might like to stay for a couple more days so you could train Pichu with him."  
  
"Sounds great!" She smiled, nodding her head once.  
  
"I think you'll be needing this for your journey...." Oak handed her a small, blue Poke Dex. Lane looked at it, a little confused. All the Poke Dex's the Professor kept around for new trainers were red. She glanced up at Oak in a questioning manner, and held up the blue Dex.  
  
"It's a special edition," the Professor began to explain. "It has three different modes; first, there's Dexter Mode. This mode allows you to gather data on the species of Pokemon you are examining. Second, there's Trainer Mode. It tells you the species, the gender, the level, attacks, hit points, and stats of the Pokemon in your party. Last, there is Battle Mode. It basically tells you everything about your opponent's Pokemon in a battle. All you have to do is tell it what mode you want."  
  
"Whoa, thanks, Professor," Lane pocketed the Poke Dex. "C'mon, Pichu, let's go get some breakfast!"  
  
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Author's note 2: See, I told ya it was gonna be a short chapter ^_^;; Sorry 'bout that. Anyways.... My REVIEW goal is 10, so if you'd leave a REVIEW that'd be splendid.  
  
Flames, suggestions, and helpful criticism are greatly welcomed.  
  
**If you would like to be in my upcoming fic "To Be a Pokemon Master" just leave your e-mail in a REVIEW** 


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